Hydraulic fluid pressure is commonly utilized in industry to generate, control, and transmit power to machines, apparatus or devices for their operation. Devices powered by hydraulic fluid pressure can often produce greater power than conventional electrically-powered devices. Examples of such devices may include impact wrenches, lifting devices, actuators or servos, driving devices for wheels or propellers, turbines, hydraulic motors, etc.
Typically, the high pressure fluid is supplied to these devices from a self-contained source of high pressure fluid or from continuously running permanent pumping stations. Where the source of the high pressure fluid is self-contained, the draw down on the source of fluid pressure eventually reduces the fluid pressure to the point where there is insufficient pressure to operate the device. In the case of permanent pumping stations, these can become inefficient as the fluid power supplied to the device may be lost and the continuing effort to maintain pressure consumes a lot of energy.
Hydraulic accumulators are known in the art for substantially storing hydraulic energy and providing a pressure supply in response to a temporary demand. Accumulators consist in a storage reservoir in which a non-compressible hydraulic fluid is held under pressure, the pressure being provided by an external source such as a weight, spring or bladder accumulator. However, hydraulic accumulators are not intended to provide a long term pressure supply.
Accordingly, there is an established need for a hydraulic power fluid supply system that can supply long term fluid pressure to one or more pressure-fluid-powered devices, preferably in a cost-effective manner.